


Red's Not Your Color

by Mijali



Category: The Locked Tomb Trilogy | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir
Genre: Gen, Rated T for language, a fact that gideon living in ninth house would have no experience with whatsoever, aparently gingers just burn like a mf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24375457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mijali/pseuds/Mijali
Summary: Gideon had never seen sun so strong before. Gideon is also a ginger. Did you guys know the sun is poison?
Relationships: Gideon Nav & Harrowhark Nonagesimus
Comments: 2
Kudos: 63





	Red's Not Your Color

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Erythema Solare](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23833264) by [constant_vellichor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/constant_vellichor/pseuds/constant_vellichor). 



“Griddle,” Harrow said, poking Gideon’s shoulder as she lay face down in her bed, “what in the name of the locked tomb is happening with your skin.” 

“Idumfo.” Gideon replied around a mouthful of musty bedding. 

“You don’t know? When did it start? I knew we shouldn’t have gone to that dinner-”    
  
“Relax, Oh Queen Of Paranoia, I don’t think I was poisoned.” Gideon had raised her head exactly high enough off the bed to speak, and not a centimeter more, “Hurts like a bitch though.” 

“It’s all red. Griddle, you’re positively  _ glowing _ .”    
  
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Harrow.”    
  
“No, I mean it literally. You’re radiating heat like an oven. I could fry an egg on your back.”    


“Can you even cook?”   
  
“Shut up. Forget I asked.”

“It happened today, I think. I was practicing with that toothpick you call a sword and when I went to lie down it  _ hurt _ but now it hurts  _ even worse _ .” 

“That’s strange. Maybe you’re allergic to something here? Have you had your robes washed lately? Maybe the soap-” 

“Oh, I wasn’t wearing my robe.”    
  
“You what.”    
  
“It’s hard to wear all that black while swinging a sword around in the sun, Harrow! Not that you’d know anything about physical activity, you consider running from your emotions to be the highest form of exercise one could get.” 

“You’re  _ sunburnt _ you idiot.” 

“I’m  _ what _ .” 

“Have you never read about this before!”    
  
“Sorry, the articles in my rag magazines are more academic in nature.” 

“You’re ridiculous. You deserve every minute of pain you get from this. Honestly, what were you expecting!”  “I don’t know, Harrow, not for the sun to be  _ poison _ !” Gideon sat up to properly glare at Harrow, her golden eyes especially bright when framed in red.    
  
“Your face, too. Please tell me you were at least wearing your paint.”    


“As a matter of fact, I was. It started to run a bit, y’know, with  _ sweat _ . Honestly, making a cavalier dress to the nines-” “That pun was  _ terrible,”  _ “while training is dumb as balls.” 

“Wait, don’t move.”    
  
“What?”   
  
“There’s something on your face.”    
  
“What! What’s on my face!”    
  
“I don’t know, and I won’t ever know if you don't! Stop! Moving!” 

Gideon stopped moving, and Harrowhawk squinted as she took a few steps towards her.    
  
“It’s like. Little dots.”

“What? What do you mean ‘dots’!” 

“I mean dots! You’re covered in dots!”    


“What color are they!”    
  
“Brown? They’re brown dots, they’re positively  _ everywhere _ Griddle, what is happening to you?”    
  
“I don’t know! Harrow, what are they, are they  _ moving _ !”   
  
“They’re not moving, but they’re all across your nose and cheeks, and-” She squinted at Gideon’s bare shoulders, “it’s hard to tell under all that red, but they might be all over.” 

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, as far as dyings concerned I always thought I’d go out in a much cooler way, like. Fending off an entire enemy army on my own or having the  _ best _ sex anyone could ever have, or-”    
  
“Is there a point to this?”  “I’m just saying that ‘space plague’ or ‘fungal infection’ or whatever wasn’t on my list, alright!” 

“I’m getting Palamedes. He’ll know.” 

“You really must think I’m dying.” 

“I think that you’re talking way too much for someone who’s dying.”    


“Then why are you so quick to bring me to the sixth house for a checkup, hmm?”   
  
“Maybe I just want a few minutes of silence.”    
  
“Maybe you’re worried about me,” Gideon’s shit eating grin was doing nothing to make Harrow more sympathetic to her plight, so with a hearty slap to her shoulder (which made Griddle double over with a gasp) she stood and stalked out of the room, calling over her shoulder “Stay. Put. And definitely do NOT go outside.”   
  


xXx  
  


“Nonagesimus said you were ill?” 

“Well, we don’t know if that’s what’s up, but I sure am not thrilled with the current situation here.”  “The sunburn?”    
  
“I mean, there’s that; who’d’ve thought the sun was  _ poison _ ,” “It’s not poison-” “but more about these…. Dots.”    
  
“Dots? When did they start showing up? Where are they?”    


“They’re everywhere.” Harrow had been leaning against the wall stewing, most likely annoyed that whatever mysterious disease Gideon had acquired was going to kill her before she could, “and they seem to be spreading.”    
  
Palamedes looked momentarily concerned, and then he paused, turning towards Harrow with a look of mild disbelief, “What color are they.”    
  
“Brown.”    
  
“Do you mean her freckles?”    
  
The room was silent. Gideon looked between the two necromancers, while one of the said necromancers looked anywhere but at the two people in the room with her.    
  
“My  **what.** ” 

**Author's Note:**

> Perhaps inspired by my GF needing a minimum of SPF 50 to go outside in the summer to keep from turning into a lobster (though I'm not one to talk, considering how sunburnt my arms are at the moment) and the amazing array of freckles she gets. Also inspired by another fic here on the archive, which I've linked to. We need more ginger Gideon moments, damn it!


End file.
